travel

I have to admit, I never got to follow through the promised review of Namsan Guesthouse from 2012. So before it escaped my mind, let me give my quick thoughts on Star Hostel.

Star Hostel in Chungmuro at night

We got Star Hostel Myeongdong Ing from Booking.com, and it cost us KRW 220,000 for a 5-night stay. We had looked for a place very late, and spaces were running out already. We got this in November 24, and the staff usually respond within a couple of hours whenever we have a question.

For our last full day in Korea, the last thing to visit was Nami Island. For days, we have been checking Instagram with #NamiIsland to see if it is snowing there. But unfortunately, until the morning that we had to go, there was none. We actually had nothing else to do, so we might as well continue there.

Unlike 2012’s Nami, we woke up quite late for the day. We were confident not to get lost or anything as it would be our second time. Quite uneventful if you ask me — no earmuffs left in the hostel or anything like that. No need for it actually as, at our fourth day, we already got used to the cold. #thecoldneverbotheredmeanyway

Waiting for the train

This Train to Busan stampeding zombies realness

For those who dropped by here looking for directions to Nami Island, you can always visit the post from 2012. Everything was pretty much the same. Time flew by so quickly, non? =)

But one thing that has not changed was the sleeping/waking match during the trip. Mon, of course, can nap once he takes a seat. Meanwhile, I had to stay awake unless we want to miss our stop.

We arrived around lunch time, thus we had to eat first because we did not fancy eating anything in Nami. There was this restaurant near the parking lot, and it was surprisingly not packed with tourists. While having lunch, though, I have been receiving messages from work due to some “office emergency”.

I could not believe what was happening. I very well knew that I had work stuff settled before going to vacation. I was in the phone for around 20 mins, trying to explain something I could not see. I should not have turned on the Wi-Fi. ^O^

Lunch first before taking the ferry

After lunch, we went straight ahead to the wharf along with the others. It only took around 3 minutes before the next ferry arrived. From the glass window, I was looking eagle-eye at Nami Island to see if there was snow. Yup, there was really none. It was going to be an autumn in December, then.

In a sea of black

Upon arriving at Nami Island, tourists usually turn right, straight to where most sights were. We, on the other hand, took a left turn, so that we can avoid the other tourists. We never managed to visit this side of the island because Mon had been freezing, even before reaching the metasequoia tree lane. Out of all the tourists who disembarked, there were about eight of us who went the other way.

For this day, it was dedicated solely for Bearstown Ski Resort. I badly needed to see snow, as a couple of days had already passed without seeing a whole bunch of them.

To go to Bearstown in Gyeonggi-do, you have to take a bus departing from Seoul. To reserve a seat for the bus, I had sent an email to the bus company on the Thursday before leaving to Korea. You can email them at good-bus@naver.com. They usually reply within 24 hours. The roundtrip fare was KRW 5,000, which you pay once inside the bus.

We thought we would be picked up at Insadong, but they asked us to be at City Hall station instead. Without even eating breakfast, we left the hostel at around 6:30 AM. It was raining a bit and the moment we got out of the train, it only took less than a minute before the bus arrived. It left at exactly 07:10 AM.

Shuttle bus to Bearstown Ski Resort

Mon was a bit grumpy throughout the ride. He was extremely hungry the whole time and we did not arrive not until half past 9. >_< So when going to Bearstown, buy at least something for the ride, especially if you will be running late. Not a single convenience store was in sight around the exit at City Hall station where the bus stops.

Upon arriving at Bearstown, I forgot how mad Mon was. There was finally snow, so #byefelicia. Just kidding!

As it was a Sunday, we decided to drop by Myeongdong Cathedral. As the guesthouse was located only at Chungmuro, we only walked rather than take the train.

Weirdly, we got lost and we ended up at a Presbyterian at the other side of the road! We got confused with the spires, even though it was not our first time to go to the cathedral. We spent a good ten minutes looking for it.

When we finally arrived, the mass just ended and the people were filtering out. A bunch of them were getting free calendars from a tent. Mon tried to get one and he was given.

When I tried doing the same, an ajumma said “Give calendar after you attend mass”. T_T I am always unfortunate with free stuff.